Merlin 5.02

[corilannam]

It was late when I got home last night, and then I had to watch the episode twice, so I ended up too tired to write up my thoughts before I passed out. Sorry, destina!

So, I requested a really kick-ass episode for my birthday. Let's see if the Beeb delivered with Arthur's Bone Bane Part 2 (because a bad joke never gets old....)



OMG YOU GUYS! I am so, so excited about this episode! There was so, so much interesting, meaty characterization to think about. I feel like the first episode was catching us up with broad strokes, and this one really started to poke at some really interesting possibilities that I'm hoping and praying they'll dig into over the rest of the season.

I don't even know where to start!

Okay, let's start off Back in Camelot...

Ruadan and Sefa - I actually ended up really caring about these two. I adored that Sefa wasn't willing to go meekly to her death. She insisted on speaking up for herself, and even though her plea was not terribly convincing ("I didn't mean it and I don't want to die" not being particularly strong legal arguments in medieval courts, I would think), I loved her for trying and for having enough faith in her former mistress to think she would be reasonable and merciful (and I'm glad Gwen fulfilled that in the end, though I'll get to her separately in a second).

And Ruadan went back for his daughter. My heart was in my throat. This thrilled me on a few levels:

1) Sefa got to realize that her father did really love her, even though he risked her life for what he saw as a higher cause
2) It made Ruadan into a much more interesting and 3-dimensional character, which is something this show has really lacked with its villains (*cough*Agravaine!*cough*). I even finally stopped calling him Ser Davros!
3) It demonstrated the fundamental differences between Gwen and Morgana as leaders. Morgana assumed Ruadan would resolutely sacrifice his daughter for her cause, whereas Gwen understood that a father won't let his daughter be hanged if there's anything he can do to stop it. But then, Gwen had a loving father and Morgana had Uther, so.

Gwen - MY QUEEN! I am all about Gwen this week. Last week I had a little bit of trouble warming to her (for a number of reasons I'm not going to bother getting into), but this week I am totally sold. This is the Gwen I always wanted to see. She's stern and fierce, but also wise and compassionate. She won't execute a (relatively) innocent girl, but she won't hesitate to use her to draw out the real threat. AND SHE DOESN'T NEED ANYBODY'S APPROVAL, BITCHES. Seriously, given this show's history with female characters, how awesome is Gwen's total independence here? She doesn't answer to anyone beneath her anymore - she doesn't even need to tell them her plans, if it doesn't suit her.

Of course, the show still abandoned her once the Ruadan plotline was resolved and we didn't even get to see her find out that her husband is still alive, but baby steps, show, baby steps. (Not that I really need to see an emotional A/G reunion, but it mildly irks me from a storytelling perspective.)

Okay, out into the tundra now, which, like all things in Albion, is mysteriously less than a day's ride from Camelot!

Morgana - For the first time since S2, I actually care about Morgana. As long as I don't think too hard about seasons 3 or 4, this Morgana works for me. She's nutty as a squirrel's cheek, but she's finally got reason to be. That little glimpse of her captivity in the oubliette was quite compelling (oh, Aithusa, my poor bb dragon). I'm looking forward to finding out who could possibly have held a High Priestess and a dragon in captivity like that. All her brooding on her lonely throne last week makes more sense now - she's so trapped in her head now, who cares if her castle is in ruins?

Aithusa broke my fucking heart. His birth last season was such a glorious magical triumph; it hurts to see him so tormented and broken, just like his mistress. He cowered under his Dragonlord's voice, but he also looked almost hopeful. I wonder if he thought Merlin had come to finally save them. Of course, there was no room in Merlin's agenda for anything but Arthur, as always -- it does make me wonder, given the reverence the magical world holds for Emrys, if Merlin will ever be called to account for his neglect of it in his obsession with Arthur?

I'm thrilled that we finally got to see Arthur and Morgana come face to face - I think I actually gasped a little when she appeared behind him. The confrontation itself was a little lackluster. I didn't get a whole lot of emotion off Arthur in this scene, which is what I was really looking for. Plus, the whole scene seemed... a little contrived? Even for this show? I mean, when does Merlin ever get knocked out?? I'm choosing to see that part as evidence of how off the rails Merlin has gotten over this prophecy, that when Arthur is in danger, he's not thinking straight and thus things like this end up happening.

But still. This is stirring up all the old Uther issues, which will lead nicely into next week.

Also - although the final shot of Morgana and Aithusa stumbling across the tundra was very striking, seriously, did they not check her pulse? Was she dead and Aithusa healed her again? Did Arthur just leave his sister's corpse in the caves? That's just not cool. Also not smart. Let's assume Merlin was still unconscious for that part of the decision making (okay, not that Merlin ever makes smart decisions about Morgana, either).

The Knights - Just a quick sidenote to say, yay knights! Nice to see Elyan being in command of the knights back at Camelot. Very nice to see Percival swinging a sword shirtless (even nicer than swinging the hammer last week!)

Though wait. I need to take a moment here to say -- dude. Gwaine's missing for two days, and you never got a chance to sneak down the tunnel and find out what happened to him? Could you at least look a little worried? And he did not need Arthur's sword to subdue that guard. He only used the pommel and his fist, which means a rock would have done just as well (AND IT'S NOT LIKE THEY WERE LACKING ROCKS). Apparently the one thing that's not big about Percy is his initiative.

But Gwaine! Eoin Macken said in his blog this week that he almost didn't come back to Merlin this season, and it's not hard to understand why, as Gwaine ranks pretty high on the list of Tragically Underused Merlin Characters. But at least this season is off to a better start, as Gwaine is the one showing initiative and bravery and compassion. No one is making jokes about him anymore. And the alien thing (which you'll notice I'm really avoiding talking about, because WTF?) now validates him as being wonderful. *happy sigh* No wonder Arthur and Merlin just had to cuddle with him immediately. Makes total sense to me.

Arthur - I have surprisingly little to say about Arthur this week, though if you opened up my brain at any random point in any day, you'd probably just hear it squeaking "ArthurArthurArthurArthurArthur." I do love my king. I love that he can still joke with Merlin even in the worst danger and even when Merlin is clearly not in a gaming mood amused. I love that Merlin's the one throwing rotten vegetables at him now, and that Arthur takes it with such excellent humor. I loved him being so clever and faking weakness in order to effect their escape. I loved how hot he was with the crossbow and that he chose not to shoot Mordred. And hmm, so Arthur's bane is himself? This actually makes a lot of sense, given Arthur's history and the point they made in 5.01 about how Arthur makes the noble decision without any regard for his own safety. He'll sacrifice himself in a heartbeat if he thinks it's the right thing to do. I mean, that goes all the way back to 1.11 (or even 1.04). He's also not that bright. Not a good combination for longevity. No wonder Merlin is so tense.

Merlin and Mordred - I really feel like I can't talk about them separately this week, since the entire episode hung on the constant tension between them (ROWR).

Can I first say, WOW, Alex Vlahos, I am so glad you are here! He is beyond perfect for Mordred, who is now almost unbearably intriguing to me, and I think his presence is really upping the show's game this year (at least so far).

I'm having a hard time talking about this whole part of the episode, because all I want to do is flap my hands and go "OMG!" I loved Mordred pledging to keep Merlin's secret. I loved Merlin essentially doing the same at the end. Each of them has his own reasons for doing so, and the whole thing is giving me goosebumps just typing about it. Their relationship is charged with so much history, so much secrecy, so much conflicting emotion, to call it sexual tension almost seems like a disservice to it, but yeah, come on, when Merlin is helping him disrobe at the end? Good gravy. I think my tongue was hanging out of my mouth.

Merlin really, really, REALLY wants Mordred dead. But he can't seem to make it happen himself. I want to know why. Is he afraid of Mordred's power? Can he still not bring himself to kill someone who hasn't actually done anything wrong yet? So interesting!

Mordred's reunion with Morgana was so powerful and sweet in a very sad way. I'm fascinated by their relationship and seeing her through his eyes, as someone who remembers the old Morgana so well. I was actually stunned when he stabbed her to save Arthur. That was awesome. I can't wait to see how this unfolds - is this a plot they arranged between them? Is Mordred repaying his debt to Arthur? Is he working for Morgana? Or does he want a closer look at Camelot in order to decide what he wants to do? I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT.

So Arthur knighted him as a reward for stabbing Arthur's sister? That... kind of amuses me.

I feel like I have so much more to say, and I'm dying to read everyone else's comments, but I must leave the house now. Please chatter at me in the meantime, because I think I cannot get too much discussion of this episode!

Comments

[magnolia822.livejournal.com]

I second everything here! The Mordred/Merlin dynamic was really interesting to me and what held my attention the most, since my OTP had so little screen time this week. I don't really see the sexual tension between them, aside from them both being extremely attractive, though there is of course tension and chemistry because the actors are so amazing. And I think that's because while enemies often have a very explosive sexual undercurrent, Merlin's antagonism towards Mordred is solely based on his love and fear for Arthur's safety. His reasons for keeping Mordred's secret seem quite different from Mordred's, since Mordred could actually use his knowledge of Merlin's power to discredit him in A's eyes, and I Merlin's motivation has to be based to a great extent on self-perservation. In any case, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, because yes, as you've stated above, Merlin's obsession w/keeping Arthur safe is showing itself to be his main vulnerability. He's making decisions that are OOC based on it, and so something will have to give at some point.

Let the alien die!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really don't think Merlin can see much of anything outside of keeping Arthur safe right now. In past seasons he's been juggling a lot of other considerations at the same time, but right now -- sorry, I just distracted myself by saying "juggling." Hee!

I think part of what makes the Mordred/Merlin dynamic so sexy (at least to me) is that there's a significant amount of pull and connection between them underneath the antagonism. They are both creatures of the Old Religion; each of them is as close to an equal as the other one will ever find. Part of them really wants to be together (as friends and allies, I mean, though you can certainly spin that out sexually as well).

I suspect Mordred, in particular, would consider the barriers between them unnatural and solely of Merlin's making. I'm not sure yet whether he's still holding out any hope of achieving amity with Emrys, or whether he's playing a long game of revenge, but even the revenge I think would come from a place of betrayal, that Merlin chooses Arthur over and over against those who should be his beloved kin.

And of course, we've seen for years how much Merlin aches to connect with other magic users, who would understand him in a way Arthur can't. A strong relationship with someone as unique and powerful as Merlin himself ought to be a dream come true, if it weren't for that pesky prophecy!

Thin line between love and hate and all that. *g*


Let the alien die!

Man, I am just hoping their CGI budget runs out fast this season. *headdesk*

[magnolia822.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can see why someone would ship them, I just don't see it myself (at least not yet). I mainly see the Merlin/Mordred storyline as competition over Arthur and a place beside him, rather than latent desire for each other either as friends or lovers. I do, however, agree that Merlin has always wanted a connection with other magic users, and that he might be able to find that in Mordred. Not sure if the storyline will take us there because of the prophecy and also because I predict a lot of envious Merlin mad at Mordred moving in on his man, but we'll see.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think the show will really deal with that at all, but that's part of the backstory/undercurrent I see in their relationship. Things could have been so much different for them if Merlin had made different choices. It's kind of the same way I see Merlin's relationship with Morgana.

I agree with you that Mordred is likely going to be trying to edge Merlin out with Arthur - I would love to see Mordred start trying to influence Arthur in favor of magic with some success, so as to become the more solid and trusted magical voice in Arthur's ear once all is eventually revealed. He could speak for benevolent magic much more openly than Merlin can, since Arthur knows he was raised by the Druids, even if Arthur doesn't know Mordred practices magic himself.